Electrolytic meter.



I. N. TUTTLE.

ELECTROLYTIC METER.

APPLICATION HLD MAR. 21. m4.

Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

Inventor-z J as TLTuttle b WQM- His Attorney Witnesses:

M 7M Mia 6Q.

Umans'rATEs PATENT OFFICE.

J'AHES TUT'ILE, OF HARWICHPOBT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GENERALELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTROLYTIC METER.

Specification of Letters latent.

Application filed March 27, 1914. Serial No. 827,802.

. citizen of the United States, residin at Harwichport, county ofBarnstable, tate of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electrolytic Meters, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to electrolytic meters, and particularly toelectrolytic meters that depend for their action upon the decompositionof an electrolyte by the electric current.

My invention particularly relates to that type of electrolytic meter inwhich the anode is a body ofmercury. Meters of this type generallyconsist of a suitable vessel for the electrolyte and means located inthe up er part of the vessel and above a suite 1e cathode for supportingthe anode mercury.

The objects of my invention are to generally improve the construction ofthis type of meter, and to provide a simple and com pact meter which ischeap to manufacture and eificient in operation.

A more particular object of my invention.

is to provide a construction of meter which can be assembled and sealedin a single integrally constructed vessel.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel and improvedconstruction of supporting diaphragm for the anode mercury in anelectrolytic meter of the type to which my invention relates.

The novel features which I believe to patentably characterize myinvention are definitely indicated in theclaims appended hereto.

The details of construction and mode of operation of a meter embodyingmy invention will be understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in whichY i Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of my improvedconstruction of electrolytic meter in its normal operating position;Fig. 2 is a view, partly in section, showing the meter tilted out of itsnormal operating position, and illustrating the action of my improvedmovable diaphragm; Fig. 3 is a detail view ofthe movable diaphragm; Fig.

' 4 is a cross-sectional view on the line 4-4 The operative elements ofmy improved construction of electrolytic meter are adapted to behermetically sealed within an integrally constructed containing vessel.The general configuration of this vessel is clearly shown in Fig. 1ofthe drawings. The containing vessel comprises an anode chamber 5 ofcircular section, a cathode chamber 6, of smaller sectional diameterthan the anode chamber, and a fall tube 7 extending below the cathodechamber and adapted to receive the mercu deposited at t e cathode of themeter. have indicated the fall tube 7 suitably graduated, in order thatthe amount of the deposited mercury therein can be convenientlymeasured. It will, of course, be understood that any other convenientmeans of measuring the quantity of mercury deposited in the fall tubemay be em loyed. The anode chamber 5, the cathode c amber 6, and thefall tube ridge is adapted to form a support for the novel and improvedmovable diaphragm of my invention. This diaphragm consists of a circularsupporting member 10, which may be of glass, latinum, or other suitablematerial not a ected by the electrolyte, and across which is stretchedand suitably secured a piece of diaphragm material 11, which ispermeable to the electrolyte of the meter but impermeable to mercury. Ihave found finely woven fabrics of a material not affected by theelectrolyte of the meter very suitably adapted as diaphragm materials.Fabrics having a mesh of about 200 per square inch are of sufiicientlyfineweave to very satisfactorily answer the requirements of a permeablediaphragm. I have further found bolting. cloth having a mesh of 200x27 5per square inch admirably suited for the diaphragm material. Boltmgcloth is made of silk fiber and is unaffected by the material of theelectroylte, and further does not shrink when placed in the electrolyte.

The diaphragm material 11 may be secured to the supporting member 10 bystitching, or in any other convenient and suitable manner.

The movable diaphragm rests upon the annular ridge 9 when the meter isin its normal operating position. A trough 12 is provided between theridge 9 and the outer wall of the anode chamber of the containing vesselfor the accommodation of the supporting member 10 of the diaphragm. Thediaphragm material 11 seats itself on the annular ridge 9, and thepressure of the body of anode mercury, resting thereon, insures a tightfit between the diaphragm material and the ridge, since there is enoughflexibility in the diaphragm material to allow it to conform to theupper surface of the ridge, even though all parts of such surface arenot in the same plane. The movable diaphragm supports a body of anodemercury 13, and prevents the passage of the mercury from the anodechamber to the cathode chamber except electrolytically.

A cathode of any suitable design is sealed into the cathode chamberbelow the movable diaphragm. In the drawings I have shown, 30

merely by way of example, a mercury cathode of the novel characterdescribed and claimed in my patent ap lication, Serial Number 725,219,filed Octo er 11, 1912. It will, however, be well understood in the artthat a carbon, platinum, iridium, or any other suitable cathode may beemployed. The cathode herein illustrated comprises a. cylindrical glasssupporting member 14: having an annular groove 18, about of an inchdeep, ground around the surface thereof. A leading-in wire 19 is sealedin the supporting and attaching member and has a plurality of endsextending into the groove. A strip of finely woven fabric, such asbolting cloth, is sewed together, forming a cloth cylinder 17, slightlylarger in diameter than the diameter of the supporting member 14. Thiscloth cylinder is introduced into the meter through the upper end, whichat this stage of the assembling is open, and slipped over the cathode,taking the position indicated in the drawings. When the meter has beenassembled, as hereinafter described, current is passed therethrough, andthe groove is gradually deposited full of mercury, which is retained 1nposition in the groove by the cloth cylinder.

Two protuberances 15 are formed in the anode chamber above the movabledia phragm, and serve, in conjunction with a leading-in wire 16 sealedinto the wall of the anode chamber, to limit the movement of thediaphragm when the meter is tilted out of its normal operating position,as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The protuberances 15 and theleading-in wire 16 are positioned approximately 120 apart, and thediaphragm is free to move between the same and the annular ridge 9.

In assembling the meter the top of the anode chamber is open. Thecathode is sealed in its proper position in the cathode chamber. Themeter is then filled with a suitable electrolyte 20, such as a solutionof a double salt of potassium sulfocyanid and mercuric chlorid. Theportion of the leading-in wire 16 extending within the anode chamber isbent toward the wall of the chamber, as indicated in dotted lines inFig. 4, and the movable diaphragm placed in position upon the supportingridge 9. The leading-in wire is then bent back to its normal position,as indicated in full lines in the figures of the drawings. Mercury isthen added to the anode chamber, and the top of this chamber sealed inorder to hermetically inclose all of the operative elements of themeter.

The operation of the meter will be readily understood from the foregoingdescription. \Vhen the meter is in its normal operating position, themovable diaphragm rests upon the supporting ridge 9 and prevents thepassage of mercury from the anode chamber ex cept electrolytically. Ifthe meter is tilted out of its normal operating position, as indicatedin Fig. 2 of the drawings, the movable diaphra'gm falls away from theannular ridge 9 and engages with the protuberances 15 and leading-inwire 16, thus permitting the free passage of mercury collected in thefall tube below the anode chamber. The movable diaphragm thus acts as avalve, preventing the passage of mercury from the body of anode mercuryto the cathode except electrolytically when the vessel is in its normaloperating position, and permitting the free passage of mercury depositedat the cathode to the body of the anode mercury when the vessel istilted out of its normal operating position. The

1 meter reader thus notes the height of the mercury in the fall tube andthen tilts the meter, thereby emptying the fall tube and returning thedeposited mercury to the anode chamber. Upon returning the meter to itsnormal operating position, the movable diaphragm drops into position onthe ridge 9, and the meter is again ready for service.

The movable diaphragm which I have devised permits of a decidedly novelconstruction of electrolytic meter possessing several advantages. Themovable diaphragm supports the anode mercury, and by its action as avalve allows the mercury which has deposited in the fall tube to bereturned to the anode chamber through the anode opening itself, therebydoing away with the necessity of having any other channel between theanode and cathode chambers. Consequently, the diameter of the containingvessel is determined by the size of the diaphragm itself, and can bemade less than one-tenth the size heretofore necessary in this type ofmeter to accommodate the same size electrodes. Furthermore, by the useof a movable diaphra m the containing vessel can be sealed 0 with thediaphragh in place, thus enabling an integrally constructed vessel to beemployed as a container for the operative elements of the meter, and soeliminating the multi-part containing vessels with ground jointsheretofore necessary in electrol tic meters of this type.

While have herein illustrated and described the best embodiment of myinvention now known to me, it will be understood that such illustrationand description is by way of example, and that do not desire to limitmyself to the details of construction so illustrated and described. I,accordingly, aim in the appended claims to cover all modifications of myinvention within the spiritand scope thereof.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. An electrolytic meter comprising a containing vessel integrallyconstructed and hermetically inclosing theoperative elements of themeter, said operative elements comprising an electrolyte, a cathode, abody of anode mercury, and a movable dia hra adapted to act as a valve,preventing t e passage of mercury from the anode to the cathode, exceptelectrolytically, but permitting the return of the mercury deposited atthe cathode to the body of anode mercury.

2. An electrolytic meter comprising a containin vessel integrallyconstructed and hermetica ly inclosing the operative elements of themeter, said operative elements-comprising an electrolyte, a cathode, abody of anode mercury, and a movable diaphragm of finely woven silkfabric adapted to act as a valve, preventin the passage of mercury fromthe anode to t e cathode, except electrolytically, but permitting thereturn of the mercury deposited at the cathode to the body of anodemercury.

3. An electrolytic meter comprising a containing vessel, an electrolyte,a cat ode, a

' body of anode mercury, and a movable diaphragm of a material permeabletothe electrolyte, but not to mercury operatlvely arranged to separatethe anode mercury from the cathode.

4. An electrolytic meter comprising a containing vessel, an electrolyte,a cathode, a body of anode mercury, and a movable dia phragm of amaterial permeable to the electrolyte, but not to mercury, as a valve,reventmg the passage of mercury from the anode to the cathode, exceptadapted to act electrolyticall but permitting the return of the mercuryeposited at the cathode to the body of anode mercury.

5. An electrolytic meter comprising a containing vessel, an electrolyte,a cathode, a body of anode mercury, and a movable diaphragm of finelywoven silk fabric adapted toact as a valve, preventing the passage'ofmercury from the anode to the cathode, except electrolytically, butpermitting the return of the mercury deposited at the cathode to thebody of anode mercury.

6; An electrolytic meter comprising a containingvessel, an electrolyte,a body of anode mercury, a movable diaphragm of a material permeable tothe electrolyte, but not to mercury, arranged within said vessel andadapted to mechanically support the anode mercury when the vessel is inits normal operating position, means limiting the movement of thediaphragm when themeter is tilted out of its normal operating position,and a cathode below the dlaphragm.

7 An electrolytic meter comprising a containing vessel, an electrolyte,a body of anode mercury, a movable diaphragm of a material permeable totheelectrolyte, but not to mercury, arranged within said vessel andadapted to act as a valve, preventing the passage of mercury from thebody of anode mercury, except electrolytically, when the vessel is inits normal operating position, and permitting the free passage ofmercury to the body of anode mercury when the vessel is tilted out ofits normal operating position, and a cathode below the diaphragm.

8. An electrolytic meter comprising a containing vessel, an electrolyte,a cathode, a body of anode mercury, and a movable diaphragm of finelywoven silk fabric adapted to act as a valve, preventing the passage ofmercury from the body of anode mercury to the cathode, exceptelectrolytically, when the vessel is in its normal operating position,

and permitting the free passage of mercury deposited at the cathode tothe body of anode mercury when the vessel is tilted out of its normaloperating position.

9. An electrolytic meter comprisin a containing vessel, an electrolyte,a cat ode, a body of anode mercury, a diaphragm having a supportingmember to which 1s suitably secured a piece of material permeable to theelectrolyte, but not to mercury, said diaphragm being movably mounted insaid vessel and adapted to mechanically support the anode mercury whenthe vessel is in its normal operating position, and to permit the freepassage 0 cathode to the body of anode mercury when the vessel is tiltedout of its normal operating position.

1 An electrolytic meter comprising a containing vessel having aninterior r1 ge, an electrolyte, a cathode, a body of anode mercury, anda diaphragm of a material permeable to the electrolyte, but not tomercury, resting on said ridge and adapted to mechanically support theanode mercury when the vessel is in its normal operating osition, andmeans limiting the movement of the diaphragm away from the ridge whenthe vessel is tilted out of its normal operating position.

11. An electrolytic meter comprising a containing vessel having a ridgeon its interior surface, an electrolyte, a cathode, a body of anodemercury, a diaphragm having a supporting member to which is suitablysecured a piece of finely woven silk fabric,

said diaphragm resting upon said ridge and adapted to mechanicallysupport the anode mercury when the vessel is in its normal operatingposition, and means limiting the movement of said diaphragm When thevessel is tilted out of its normal operating position.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day ofMarch, 1914.

JAMES N. TUTTLE.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. MCMANUS, Jr., HENRY A. ANDERSEN.

